The Opportunity of a lifetime
by Victoria.Rae
Summary: A Harry Potter reaction story. The Marauders and Lily are given the chance to change the future; a future they quickly learn isn't as bright as they once hoped. Can they save themselves? Can they save Harry? Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

Well, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction! Please feel free to review, constructive criticism welcome, but being mean is not.

_I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All credit goes to the Almighty Lord J. K. Rowling, praise be to her greatness. I can only hope to honor her by doing my best not to butcher her characters. _

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Prologue

James wasn't listening to Sirius. Sirius didn't notice his best friend's distraction, and continued babbling on about a magic motorbike he had been saving up to buy. Remus, however, watched James closely. It was very unlike James not to join in Sirius' wild enthusiasm, he didn't seem sad or tired, rather like he was deep in thought. Like he was planning something. Remus was so busy watching James and speculating internally he didn't notice Sirius had stopped walking and spun around to face them. He and James, who hadn't noticed either, collided with him. Luckily, everyone kept their feet on the ground, but there was much shuffling, robe untangling, and glasses adjusting. "James, what's your problem today!" Sirius demanded, hands now on his hips, glaring at his slightly taller friend. So he _had_ noticed, thought Remus. James smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Sirius, I was just distracted, thinking about the Christmas holiday and what we should do, and what I should get you." Sirius grinned at this, distracted enough by the idea of gifts that he accepted his friend's thinly veiled lie. Remus didn't buy it, and he tried to tell himself that if James was keeping a secret, it was for a good reason and he would tell them when he was ready, but it was hard to bite down his natural curiosity and, admittedly, nosey-ness!

The three went their separate ways; Remus to meet up with Peter for Study of Ancient Runes, Sirius to detention (he charmed Professor Flitwick's stool so that it galloped around the room, he just happened to be atop it at the time), and James to his free period. Though he felt very guilty about it, James couldn't help but admit he was a bit happy that Sirius wasn't with him this time, as he usually was, because it meant he could find Lily. He found her outside sitting beneath a tree beside the lake. The snow was taking its sweet time this year, but it was still very cold and most people preferred to stay inside the commons rooms by warm, roaring fires. The frozen grass crunched under his feet, alerting Lily to his presence. She turned and smiled up at him, and he no longer felt the cold. Lily Evans, the most beautiful girl James had ever seen, jumped to her feet. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and her green eyes were wide and bright. James pushed a strand of red hair out of her face, "We will need a warmer hiding place soon, Evans." He laughed. James had not been thinking about the Christmas holiday. He was thinking about Lily, and how to surprise her for their one month anniversary, which was the next day, the day they left for home, after which they would not see each other again for two weeks. They sat beneath the frozen tree, talking for a long time. Lily told him about her day and her classes and her plans for the holiday. Lily was very, very happy, and as she stared up into James' hazel eyes, she knew she was lucky as well. Lily was testing James, if he kept their relationship a secret from his friends, from everyone, until she said otherwise, it would prove he was no longer the spoilt child who cared only for showing off and being admired (though he was still admired greatly, for everything from his Quidditch skill to his oh-so-charming smile, so she doubted she would ever fully lesson his ego), and so far he was passing with flying colors. He had been attentive and kind and loving, and not so much as looked at another girl, even when he didn't know Lily was watching. Maybe it was time for people to know, she was in no way ashamed of dating James Potter like she was once sure she would be, and she certainly would not mind being able to be around him without worrying what others thought. Yes, she thought, he had passed the test. He was currently laughing at a story he had been telling her (sadly, her decision had blocked out most of what he had been saying), something about how Sirius had gotten his detention. Lily giggled dutifully before placing her gloved hand on his arm, "James..." she started, but was cut off when he grabbed her and thrust her swiftly behind him. Before she could even decide whether to ask what was wrong or scold him, she was blinded by a white, warm light.

The light slowly concentrated into a small glowing sphere. James inched towards it and Lily grabbed his arm to pull him back, just then the light imploded with a _pop_, and in its place appeared a piece of parchment, which floated quietly down to the ground, tumbling slightly in the wind, but not blowing away. They couple stared at the paper, and slowly James inched over and knelt beside it. Instead of stopping him this time, Lily slid down beside him. "What is it...?" She wondered aloud. "I don't know," said James slowly. He reached down and carefully poked the paper with his wand, at which point the paper flipped open, ink spreading across the page in elegant, tiny swirls, slowly forming into what they recognized as words. Lily, overcome by curiosity, snatched the paper off the ground. James protested, claiming it may be dangerous, but she began to read aloud:

_James Potter and Lily Evans, _

_I understand why you would not believe me, and there is nothing I can do to force you, but I implore you listen. I know much of the future, and while I cannot tell you much now, I would like to give you the opportunity to change it. If you wish to find out more, be in the Room of Requirement just before midnight. Bring with you Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, but tell no one else. _

_Sincerely, _

_A Friend_

Lily looked up at James, "What does that mean? 'A Friend'? This is all very strange James. Tell me you don't have something to do with this." James shook his head and took the letter to read himself. "No, I- Hey!" The ink faded before their eyes, leaving behind a blank piece of parchment. They let the silence hang between them for a moment, but eventually James spoke. "The future… this person wants us to change the future. Why?" "Why us?" added Lily, they stared into each others eyes for a long, long moment. "I think we should do it," James blurted out. He waited for her to list off all the reasons this was a terrible idea, so he was near dumbfounded when she nodded in agreement. "I think so, too." "But we'll have to sneak out, and be back in time to catch the train. We also have to figure out what in the name of Merlin is a 'Room of Requirement.'" Lily just blinked at him, confused. "What?" he demanded. "_You_ don't know? James Potter, who knows every secret tunnel and passage, every hiding spot and false door in the entirety of Hogwarts, doesn't know about the Room of Requirement? I thought for sure you and the rest of your little pack spent half your time plotting in there!" By now Lily was sort of giggling, "I mean, I found it in my first year!" "What? _What_? What is it?!" James pleaded, hoping the cold would hide his embarrassed blushing. (It didn't, and Lily found it absolutely adorable.) "The Room of Requirement," Lily explained, speaking deliberately slow, causing him to pout and blush more, "is a room on the seventh floor, left corridor, that only shows itself to people who are truly in need of it, and it will fit their needs. I'll meet you, Remus, and Sirius in the commons tonight, 20 minutes before midnight." Lily leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Bye James!" she giggled and walked her way back up to the school, a bounce in her step and a smile in her eyes.

Half confused and half excited, James waited for her to disappear behind the doors before running inside. He continued through the rest of his classes with a stupid grin on his face, unnerving many of his teachers (in fear of a prank) and confusing his friends. When they finally finished their last class, Potions (which the four had together), Peter yawned and made his way up the stairs to bed. Remus and Sirius went to follow, but James pulled them stayed in the common room until the rest of the Gryffindors climbed up to bed. James stood by the fire, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Guys, the coolest thing happened today!" And he explained, smoothly downplaying the whole alone-with-Lily-Evans part of the story. James took the blank page out of his cloak and looked at his friends expectantly. Sirius' eyes were alight with excitement, but Remus was concerned. "Could I see the letter?" he asked, and James nodded, quickly pulling out his wand and touching it to the paper. Nothing happened. James frowned, "I guess it only worked the once… you still believe me don't you?" James looked so very hopeful, Sirius nodded enthusiastically and Remus sighed. "I can't see how it would hurt, but it is a bit odd. I mean, why the three of us? Why Evans? And why not Peter?" James frowned thoughtfully, he had forgotten about Peter, but Remus was right, why didn't the letter mention him? He was one of his friends, too. Just then, Lily came down the stairs, and James smiled instantly. "Looks like you told them, James. Well, let's go then, before we get caught." James had, for a moment, thought of using his cloak of invisibility to help them sneak through the castle, but he wasn't sure he was ready to tell Lily about it just yet. Besides, it wouldn't fit over all of them. The three boys followed Lily as she slipped unseen through the school.

Lily came to a stop in the left corridor of the seventh floor, just like she said, and stood facing the wall across from a hideous tapestry (Were those trolls wearing tutus?). It was quiet for a moment. After what felt like forever (but was probably closer to just a minute) slow, spindly cracks appeared in the wall, swirling around each other until they formed the shape of a door, which Lily then pushed open. Inside was a wide, round room, with walls draped in violet velvet and a domed, mirrored ceiling. Directly across from the door, that was slowly disappearing now that they were inside, was a large fireplace with a massive fire sending warmth around the room. Facing the fire in a half-circle was a series of plush silver and violet chairs and couches placed on an ornate rug. In the very center of the seating arrangement was a square, dark-wood coffee table, atop which sat a single piece of parchment. On either side of the fireplace were two doors. James was the first to approach, with Lily right behind him. He picked up the paper. This time the parchment wasn't blank. James read the letter aloud:

_James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, _

_I am glad to see you believed me. Let me preface this by telling you, you will not be held here against your will. You are free to leave whenever you want, but I doubt you will want to. The four of you will stay here until the end of the Christmas holiday. Letters will be sent home explaining your change of heart at sunrise, unless you decide to leave before then. We have gotten permission, though you do not need to know how, for you to stay remain in this room for the remainder of the holiday. The doors to the right of the fireplace lead to a bathroom and a hidden tunnel to the corridor by the kitchen. I'm sure you boys can get food from there, as we know you've done it before. The doors on the left lead to two bedrooms; the larger with three beds, the smaller with one. It should be obvious which room is for who! Before you will appear a book. In order to change the future for the better, you must read the book cover to cover, and all the ones that follow it, (if any do; I'll leave it a surprise.) It will make more sense once you begin the book, which I hope you do. _

_Sincerely, _

_A Friend_

Just then, the letter burst into green flames. James yelled and dropped it, but it turned to ash before ever hitting the floor. Sirius gasped, "Guys, look!" Three sets of eyes followed his pointing hand to the coffee table, upon which sat a book. Remus picked it up. It was large but not very, with a red hardcover and gold lettering along the spine. "'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'?" He read, looking at James. "Do you know anyone in your family by that name?" "No," said James, not even having to think about it. Remus flipped open the cover and gasped, "It's from 1997!" "I guess that's what they meant about changing the future," Sirius commented, plopping down on one of the couches. "Ohh, cozy. Ok! Let's get reading shall we?" By now, the other three were used to Sirius' eternal enthusiasm, and knew it was best to just go along. James took a seat beside Lily, earning a curious look from Remus and a suggestive eyebrow-wiggle from Sirius, but James ignored them. They all turned to face Remus, who was now sitting beside a slightly-bouncing Sirius. Remus cleared his throat.

**Chapter One**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

_I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All credit goes to the Almighty Lord J. K. Rowling, praise be to her greatness. I can only hope to honor her by doing my best not to butcher her characters._

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**Chapter One **

Remus read, tilting his head slightly in a way his friends easily identify as curiosity.

**The Boy Who Lived. **

"That doesn't sound good.." Whispered Lily, exchanging a look with James. Sirius bounced even more in his seat. "Keep reading, Remus!" James laughed, "I've never seen you that excited for a book before, padfoot!" Sirius stopped bouncing, crossed his arms, and stuck out his tongue at James before turning back to Remus, nodding expectantly.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

Sirius groaned, "How boring! I already don't like these people." Lily shushed him, something sounded very familiar in this book, and she was determined to find out what.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **(Lily made an odd squeak sound, earning an odd look from James, but she waved it off.) **The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and i their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Hey!" shouted James and Sirius simultaneously, causing Lily to jump. "Whats wrong with the Potters?" demanded James. Sirius jumped up, looking like he was ready to start a fight with anyone who challenged him. "Nothing! These _people_ have NO idea what they are talking about! Anyone would be proud to know the Potters!" With a childish foot-stomp, he sat back down with tightly crossed arms and pressed-thin lips. James, though still insulted by this awful book family, couldn't help but smile at his best friend's defence. He didn't notice how quiet Lily was, or how big her eyes had gotten, but Remus had, mainly because she was staring intently, at the book in his hands. Remus cleared his throat.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. **(Remus reminded himself silently that Sirius was glaring at the book, not him, but it was still frightening) **The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

"AH-HA!" Shouted Sirius, interrupting yet again and scaring everyone in the room. "I _knew _it!" He grinned, leaning forward in his seat with a wild grin, pointing at where James hand had slipped over Lily's. James silently cursed himself, he had seen how upset Lily had gotten and, even though he didn't know why she was upset, he was so bent on comforting her he'd been too obvious. He blushed, opened his mouth to explain himself and went to pull his hand away, but Lily stopped both actions. "If you 'knew' that James and I have been dating, then yes, you knew it." Lily smiled, squeezing James hand, his mouth hung open. "I wouldn't let him tell you, so don't go blaming him for keeping a secret. Though, for the record, I was going to let him tell you today, but then this" she waved her hand around, "whole mess started." James grinned smugly at his friends, but did not forget the way sadness filled Lily's eyes. He would find out what was upsetting her, but he doubted now was the time. Remus smiled brightly at the two (Sirius continued to stare, his mouth open in shock) and continued reading.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

Sirius, who had stopped staring now, grinned at the word 'owl' and began to bounce again.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. **(Remus frowned in disapproval of this) **He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. **

"Is that really that odd? Its probably just a witch or wizard" Sirius asked, and James shrugged. "Of course it is!" Said Lily, who looked very serious, "Do you two ever pay attention in Muggle Studies?" They grinned apologetically at her.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby car standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.** ("Definitely a witch or wizard" Nodded James.) **As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, **_**looking**_ **at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or**_ **signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

Silently, Remus hoped the book would pick up soon, as Sirius was clearly becoming bored, and a bored Sirius is very, _very _rarely a good thing.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! **(Sirius snorted, James snickered) **But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind pack on drills. **

James nudged Lily, unable to fight curiosity much longer. She met his eyes and knew exactly what he was asking, but shook her head. _Not now_, she seemed to say, and James just frowned and nodded. Meanwhile, Sirius was now nearly vibrating in his seat, desperately waiting for some form of violence or action or anything.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills. **_**He**_ **didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery **

"Like he needs one, hes massive!" Snorted Lily. James and Sirius laughed, but Remus knew the book had barely mentioned the largeness of the man, and how Lily seemed to glare at the book at any mention of Mr. Dursley, which lead to a pretty steady glare.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard -"**

" **- yes, their son, Harry - "**

James and Sirius snapped to attention, ready to hear more about the Potters.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking … no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't ever sure his nephew **_**was**_ **called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. **

"Oh, I can feel the family love!" Laughed Sirius. James started to laugh too, but quickly stopped seeing Lily's grave face.

**It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if **_**he'd**_ **had a sister like that … **(Lily made a choking sound, but quickly composed herself, tense and silent) **but all the same, those people in cloaks … **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry" he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passerby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

The room was silent for a full five minutes. "WHAT" screamed Remus, the first to speak, rereading the line again and again and again…

Lily opened her mouth and closed it again, then opened it yet again. James pulled her close into a hug whispering "Yes…yes"

Sirius was jumping from couch to couch, chanting "We won! Voldemort is dead! We won! We _won_!" It took some time for the room to calm down enough to read again. James still wouldn't let go of Lily, who was still in shock, and Sirius was grinding blindingly. Remus was struggling to suppress a smile.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. **

**The cat didn't move. It gave him a stern look. Was- **"McGonagall!"

The three looked at Sirius. "It's her. I'll bet my wand on it." Lily shook her head at him, "How on earth could you know it was her?" Sirius grinned, "If you've been given that look as often as I have, you can recognize it, even in text" He shuddered.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." **

"I know people are happy, but they are being very careless" Remus scolded, talking to no one in particular.

**The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - It's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

"Shooting stars, too? People can be so careless" Remus shook his head, "But Muggles are very good at explaining things away, its very impressive." Lily smiled at that. "Oh relax!" Grinned Sirius, "We won a _war_. I bet we are all celebrating the hardest! Oh, oh! I bet that James or his family stopped him, thats why they are talking about him!" James stared at Sirius, a million thoughts speeding through his head. Could he had done it? Could he have been the one to stop Voldemort…?

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

All the color drained from Lily's face. James had Remus stop reading and demanded to know what was wrong, but she just told Remus to keep reading.

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

"**No." she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars.. and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"_**So?**_" **snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

"**Well, I just thought…maybe…it was something to do with…you know…**_**her**_ **crowd."**

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mrs. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" **

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me." **

"I always loved that name.." whispered Lily, confusing Sirius and James, but Remus understood. He finally put two and two together, understanding what Lily had since she figured out why the Dursleys were so familiar. He realized who Harry Potter was..

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursley's got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quiickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect **_**them**_…

**How very wrong he was. **

"Finally, it's getting interesting!" Cheered Sirius. Lily's glare shut him up rapidly.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the car on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. **

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken twice before. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

Every teenager in the room grinned ear to ear at the mention of their beloved Headmaster.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the car watching him. If anyone looked out their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley **(Sirius snickered) **, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

Sirius whooped and jumped up, "I knew it! I'm so awesome!" James laughed slightly, still worrying about Lily, "Looks like you should have bet money, not your wand, Sirius" Remus took a minute to let his hyper friend calm down.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. **

"**How did you know it was me?" She asked. **

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

Giggles all around.

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. **

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."  
Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursley's dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls…shooting stars…Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

"I think I've met Diggle" Said James, "She's right, he's an odd one."

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently, "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has**_ **gone, Dumbledore?" **

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "Er have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"_What?_" Asked Sirius, confused. James shrugged. Understanding Dumbledore was a science all its own.

"**A **_**what**_**?" **

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

Lily smiled, "They _are_ pretty good."

"**No, then you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has**_ **gone-"**

"**My Dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**." **

James and Sirius nodded, having heard the speech on why to call Voldemort by his name many times from James' parents.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying "You-Know-Who." I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." **

"**I know you haven't." said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one "You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of." **

"Its true" Commented James proudly. "That's why Hogwarts is so safe."

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"**Only because you're too - well - **_**noble**_ **to use them."**

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

Sirius pretended to gag and be sick, James and Remus laughed.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore **(Sirius flinched at the mention of _the look._) **and said, ""The owls are nothing next to the **_**rumors**_ **that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

The children leaned forward, eager to know what ended the reign of terror.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemondrop and did not answer. **

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is- **

Remus stopped.

"Well?" said James, on the edge of his seat, "Keep going!" Lily frowned, watching Remus turn pale and his hands shake. He had to clear his throat four times before he could continue.

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - **_**dead**_**."**

Lily screamed. Sirius jumped to his feet but shook dumbfounded staring at Remus, then the book, then James, then the book again. James couldn't move, the smile melted off his face and his breath caught in his throat. Lily's scream was quickly drowned by her sobs. She had figured it out, that she was married to James, but she didn't think…she would never have expected…_this_. Sirius growled at Remus, who was staring at the floor, "You're _lying_," and snatched the book from his friend's hands. "No. NO. That's not possible. Remus and I would have protected you. I would have protected you!" Sirius rubbed violently at the tears filling his eyes, but it didn't stop them. James, finally breathing again, wrapped his arms around Lily and let her cry on him. Remus gripped his knees so tightly his fingers turned white. Sirius continued to vocalize and pace. James slowly leaned his head back and smiled into the domed ceiling. "I marry Lily Evans, I marry the girl of my dreams." Remus looks up and Sirius stops walking, they stare at James. Lily's sobs die down as she looks up at her future-husband. "W-what?" "You heard me" said James, looking back down into her emerald eyes, "You are the only girl I've ever wanted, the only one I will ever want. I am going to change the future, like the note said, but I won't change that. I will marry you, Lily Evans. And we will have Harry and grow old together." Lily couldn't speak, nor could anyone else it seems. "Remus, I think I'll read for a bit, if that's ok?" Remus nodded numbly and handed James the book. Sirius sat beside Remus, staring at James in awe. How was he so calm? Sirius just couldn't stop shaking…

"_Why didn't I save them?"_

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

"**Lily and James…I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it…Oh, Albus…"**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know…I know…" he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone." **

"Sirius was right." Remus finally spoke, "It was a Potter..who stopped Voldemort." The room was silent for a long time.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

"**It's - it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done…all the people he's killed…he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding…of all the things to stop him…but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore "We may never know."**

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little plants were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why**_ **you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now." **

"_What_?" screeched Lily, sitting up and pushing off from James chest. "He's bringing my baby to _Petunia_? He's going to leave him with those..those.._People?!_" Everyone flinched away from her in fear. "Lily..its ok calm down, I'm sure Harry will be fine." "You saw how they talk about us, James! How they feel about us! They'll hate him!" Lily was fighting back tears again, James rubbed her back. "Lily, you have to remember we are going to change all this, I swear. I won't let this future happen." This seemed to placate Lily, and James was able to continue.

"**You don't mean - you **_**can't**_ **mean the people who live **_**here**_**?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"A _letter_? Seriously?" Groaned Sirius.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

"**Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

James said this part very slow, hoping Lily will understand what Dumbledore was saying as he did, but Lily did not look convinced.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it. **(Lily's breath caught.)

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

And she released it.

"**You think it - **_**wise**_ **- to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled into a roar as they both looked up at the sk - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

"It's me!" cried Sirius.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. **(Sirius' smile faltered) **He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild**_**- long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. **

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"  
**"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

Sirius' head snapped right up. If he was still there, why hadn't he protected James and Lily? This future was twisted and wrong, it made him want to scream.

"**No problems, were there?"  
**"**No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol." **

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. **(Lily choked back a sob and rubbed at her eyes. James offered to hold her again but she shook her head no.)

"**Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have on myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursley's house. **

"**Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

They couldn't help but smile at this, even Lily who was still wiping her eyes.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"**S-s-sorry," Sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -" **

"**Yes, yes it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

Sirius sat more still than he had this entire time. Inside, he was screaming.

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

James' voice caught.

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured, he turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

Before he could continue, James had to blink a few times, clear his throat, and rub at his eyes.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time and Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices; "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

The room was very quiet as James put the book down and looked at the clock. Only a few hours left until sunrise. "Is anyone going to go?" James asked, looking around at his silent friends. Not one moved, and he nodded. "I think maybe we should get some sleep, tomorrow we can read some more, ok?" Remus and Sirius nodded and headed into their room, leaving James and Lily alone. James stood and placed the book on the table, then turned to face Lily and offered his hand. She looked up at him, her eyes red and raw, before taking it. He helped her up. She opened her mouth to speak, she had so much to say, but all that came out was "Harry.." "I know" James said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I know Lily." They stood in silence for a moment before Lily turned to go to bed, but when she reached the door she stopped and turned to face him. "Goodnight, Potter." She said at last, before retreating into her room. James smiled, he knew she'd be ok eventually. The second the door closed behind him Sirius pulled him into a hug. "Sirius. Too tight!" It took a minute to pry him off, but when he did, Remus hugged James as well.

That night the three boys slept piled up on one bed in a nest of pillows and blankets, like they had during their childhood sleepovers. James couldn't help but smile, no matter what that book said, he was the luckiest guy in the word.

* * *

First full chapter done, reviews welcome! Sorry for the long update, I'll try and get better at it.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

I'm sorry it took me sooo long to upload again! College is more work than I originally anticipated. I'll try and updated sooner from now on, but I can't make any promises. Thank you, to everyone who reviewed! Your encouragement is what got me writing again, and hopefully it will continue to inspire me. I hope I can do right by all you wonderful people!

_I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All credit goes to the Almighty Lord J. K. Rowling, praise be to her greatness. I can only hope to honor her by doing my best not to butcher her characters._

(Also, I think there may be more typos/spelling errors than the last one.)

* * *

The next morning, Sirius was the first one awake. By time the other three emerged, stretching and rubbing the sleep from their eyes, into the main room, Sirius had already snuck off to the kitchen and come back. He was stretched across one of the couches in front of the fire, half a donut sticking out of his mouth and white powder all over his face. He waved, then pointed to a pile of simple breakfast foods on the table.

As the other three sat down to eat, Sirius sat up straight and finished his donut and wiped his face on his sleeve. "Ok!" He announced, "I'm with James. This is _not_ our future. It will change even if I have to do it all on my own." Sirius smiled a broad, confident smile, which James returned. "That's the spirit!" The two boys, now eager to read, turned to face the very quiet Remus and Lily. After a moment of quiet contemplation, Remus sighed, "Of all people, I should know, Lily, when those two make such sweeping declarations on what they plan to do, they _always_ go through with it. For better or worse." Remus punctuated this with a glare at the other boys that spoke volumes about the number of times it did _not_ work out so well.

Slowly, Lily looked up from her muffin to see James watching her, he had this wild excitement in his eyes and his smile was so warm. He was so sure, so positive, it was hard not to believe him. She smiled, "Sirius is right, we can't let this future happen. We'll all work to fix it, but I don't know how. All we can do for now is read the book."

As she spoke, James went over and grabbed the book off the table. "Then lets read." He sat back down beside Lily and opened the book to where they left off.

**Chapter 2**

**The Vanishing Glass**

Sirius made a high pitched squealing sound, "Finally, some magic!"

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about owls. **(Sirius snickered.) **Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

Lily sat up, eager to hear her son's description at 11 years old.

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **(James frowned at that part, as did Lily.)

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again**

Frowns all around. Lily sighed, "That's how she wakes me up on the day I get on the train. Her voice just goes so _high_."

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. **(At that, James couldn't help but stop and smile. He loved his son already.)

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"Petunia let him fry bacon at 11 years old? He could of burnt himself!" Lily huffed, her sister was going to be at the wrong end of some accidental magic come the next summer holiday.

**Harry groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"**Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because**

James face sort of twisted, and he stuttered a bit. The group frowned and leaned forward, curious as to what made him look so unhappy.

**because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"_What?_" Lily gasped out. James looked up from the book to the horrified faces of his friends. Lily tried to form more words, but nothing came out. Remus shook his head slowly, "That…that can't possibly be legal by muggle laws, can it Lily?" He turned to her, but she didn't answer. Lily was very, very angry. Not even Sirius was foolish enough to push an angry Lily. Courageously taking her shaking hand, James continued to read.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. **(Sirius mumbled something about weird muggle toys before Remus shushed him) **Exactly what Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **(James squeezed Lily's hand supportively.) **but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Sounds like James," Grinned Sirius, "He's near impossible to catch!" Lily groaned as James puffed out his chest proudly. "Now look what you've done!" Remus and Sirius started laughing, and even Lily had to crack a grinned. He had always been the one to defuse a stressful situation, and it seemed his skills were needed now more than ever.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear wear old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of scotch tape because of all the times dudley had punched him on the nose. **(Lily growled, and it took a lot bravery on James' part not to shrink away in fear.) **The only thing harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died." she had said.**

"A car crash?" Huffed Sirius, "Like anything as silly and muggle as a _car_ could ever take down James Potter! Or Lily for that matter." Remus frowned thoughtfully, "Didn't they read Dumbledore's letter? Surely he told them what really happened." Lily shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Petunia, she hates all things magic and it's clear that her husband feels the same way. They'll do everything in their power to ignore all things 'abnormal', as if that will make it go away! You should see the way she turns purple when she sees my school books." Lily crossed her arms across her chest and slumped back against the couch.

_**Don't ask questions -**_ **that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of morning greeting. **(A grin split across James face, and he struggled not to laugh while he read this next part.)

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts then the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

James burst into laughter, and Sirius followed suit. "You should see his mom's face sometimes!" Laughed Sirius, rolling over on his back and grabbing his sides. "She has tried every spell charm and hex in the books! I think she's even made up a few! Nothing works." James grinned proudly. Lily's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at her boyfriend's wild hair. "I'll think of something." She declared. "Good luck." added Remus with a smile, "You'll really need it, Lily."

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel **(Sirius snorted.) **- Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Thats my boy!" Announced James proudly, Lily sighed and shook her head. Sirius was jumping in his seat, he tugged on Remus' sleeve. "Looks like he really will be a mini James!" Remus nodded in wholehearted agreement.

**Harry put the plates of eggs and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going read in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"What a spoilt brat!" Frowned Lily. Sirius nodded in agreement, "No wonder he's so fat. And, really, I pick on James for being spoilt but even he doesn't count his presents like that." Sirius shook his head in disgust.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. **(Snickers all around.) **Finally, he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty…thirty…"**

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

Remus' face twisted in horror. "He's _praising _that behavior? I almost feel bad for that boy! With all that spoiling, theres no way he'll be prepared for the real world." Sirius snorted, "So what? He picks on our baby Potter, who cares if the world chews him up and spits him out."

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **("What?" asked Sirius, and all three boys turned to Lily for an explanation. "Muggle things, really its not important." she sighed, and the boys dropped it.) **He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart have a leap. Each year on Dudley's birthday his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage **("Ewww." Sirius stuck out his tongue and frowned.) **and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she's ever owned.**

**"Now what?" Said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded myself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"What kind of pet names are those? She must be mad." Sirius shook his head. "Is it a muggle thing?" He asked, turning to Lily. She shook her head, "No, it's more a crazy old lady thing."

**"We could phone Marge." Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Lily looked very distraught, "My son is not anything like a slug!" Huffed and glares daggers at the book.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer.)**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon**

Lily laughed allowed at the image she could so clearly picture, as she'd seen that face many times before.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" She snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...and leave him in the car..."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

Lily shook her head, "What a brat." James looked away. "I don't know," mumbled James, blushing, "I mean if you don't do it often and only for really important stuff…" Sirius was trying hard not to laugh, having seen fake tears full James' eyes many times while facing Mrs. Potter. It stopped working for James years ago; but it still worked when Sirius did it with her, which was something James always found very unfair.

**"Dinky Duddydums,**(Sirius pretended to gag) **don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" She cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I...don't...want...him...t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with the face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. **(Lily couldn't help but compare the boy to Peter back when they were younger and the boys, mainly James and Sirius, liked to pick on Severus.) **Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he said, putting his large purple face right up lose to Harry's, **(No one looked particularly happy with the mental imagery.) "**I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

Before she continued, James smiled wide, having read over Lily's shoulder.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at al, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spend a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. **(They all frowned at this, except for James who continued to read over her shoulder and was suppressing laughter.) **Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't**_ **explain how it had grown back so fast.**

"Well thats obviously accidental magic." Commented Remus, who had to nearly yell to be heard over James' and Sirius' laughter. Lily nodded in agreement, she, too, was smiling at the story. She, like Remus, just couldn't help but dwell on the punishment part.

**Another time, **(Lily continued to read in spite of James' giggling fits,) **Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

Lily made a face, "She probably made it; she made a similar sounding one last summer for the cat, it was awful! She held her down and forced her into it, then cried to Mother and Father when the cat scratched her hands." She huffed and nudged James away. "Enough reading ahead, James! Go sit with the others." Lily commanded with a huff, looking adorable and frightening at the same time. James, looking like a puppy with its tail between its legs, slipped off the couch and plopped down between Remus and Sirius. Satisfied, Lily continued to read.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **(The boys enjoyed that story especially, considering he wasn't punished even though it was technically his fault.)

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's suprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **(Lily's eyes widened in shock as she read and the boys leaned forward.) **The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all e'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wing must have caught him in mid-jump.**

Sirius snorted loudly, "He's been around Muggles far too long! He rationalizes obvious magic just like they do." Remus nodded thoughtfully, "That is a particularly impressive bit of accidental magic," he turned to James, "I really shouldn't be surprised by that, though, considering you and Lily are both very powerful magic users." James, who constantly joked about his own greatness, was elated to have a real compliment, often feeling as though he could do better. His face lit up and Lily smiled kindly, "Thank you Remus, but you and Sirius are powerful too." Remus smiled but said nothing, only waving for her to continue. He had really meant it; they were more powerful than they ever realized.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. **(Sirius snorted in disbelief.) **It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he droved, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

" …**roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Bad idea, Harry!" Exclaimed Sirius, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head in disappointment.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

The group of 7th years winced in sympathy. "What a horrible thing to have so close to your face, and be so loud." Lily mumbled, shaking her head, before picking up the book once more.

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"Of course they did." James sighed.

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **(They couldn't help but smile at that.)

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except it wasn't blond.**

Even Remus and Lily laughed at that. "Oh, James, he's just like you!" Sirius gasped between laughs. "I'm so very proud." James cooed, whipping a fake tear from his eye and puffing out his chest.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back to their favorite hobby of hitting him. **(This sobered them up quickly.) **They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"The zoo seemed to have a lot of ice cream," sighed Sirius longingly, "we should go sometime! I like icecream." "NO way!" Cried Remus suddenly, "Knowing you, you'd let the animals out into the crowds!" James nodded in agreement, "Besides, I've been to a zoo once, and theres nothing interesting, like dragons, only boring animals muggles know about." Lily frowned, "I thought you liked going to the zoo with me." "No, no I did! Really Lily it was fun, but because I was with you more then the animals we saw." James added quickly, and it seemed to work as Lily smiled and continued to read.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. **(James groaned and leaned back against the couch. Sirius patted his knee supportively, while leaning closer to the book in excitement.)

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. **(Sirius, who deeply hated all things slimey and/or slithery, shuttered.) **Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.  
**"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"They should just leave the poor thing alone." huffed Lily, but she couldn't help but smile. "I can't imagine how uncomfortable Petunia must be there, she despises all wild animals, and barely tolerates house pets."

"**This is boring." Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.  
Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

James couldn't' help but smile at his son's kindness. He was going to comment on it, when Lily squeaked. "Lily?" he asked, concerned. Instead of answering, she continued to read.

**The sake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

_**It winked.**_

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **("_Why_?" groaned Sirius.)

**The snaked jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

"_**I get that all the time.**_"

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. **("Sounds like Harry is dense like you, James." Sirius chuckled, but no one responded, too freaked out by young Harry's conversation with the snake, the weirdness of which Sirius had yet to pick up on.) "**Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T **_**BELIEVE **_**WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

Lily had to take a moment to drink some water before she could continue.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punishing Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **(James growled protectively and Sirius glowered at the book. Remus didn't even attempt to calm them down, knowing it would never work.) **What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **("Good" huffed James.)

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come … Thanksss, amigo."**

Sirius was the first to speak. "Um… thats not normal, is it?" He asked, turning to Remus, as he usually did when he had questions. Remus was so shocked, he didn't realize his mouth was hanging open until Sirius' question pulled him back into reality. "No… its not. I read about it once, I think. I mean; I could be wrong, and there's probably another more fitting explanation…" "Remus!" James interrupted his friend's nervous babbling, "Spit it out already" Remus stuttered again, so Lily spoke over him, "Parseltongue. Its called Parseltongue. Its a language some know used to speak with snakes. Its very very rare and something you are born with." Her and James shared a lingering, nervous glance. How had their son ended up with that skill. "But theres probably a different explanation." Remus interjected, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself then the others.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass." he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

Sirius snorted, "What idiots." The fact that Sirius was known to exaggerate in much the same way was enough to make the others smile at his obliviousness and break the tension hanging in the air.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Dread filled the room. "Petunia… she will _not_ like that. Oh my god, poor Harry." No one had anything to say to that, knowing full well she is right.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angryy he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"_No meals_?!" cried James, "They can't be serious." He turned to Lily, who looked very distraught, knowing it is _exactly _the type of thing Petunia and her future husband (who she had met but once and instantly despised) would do.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **("Good," nodded Sirius, his shoulders relaxing. "At least he doesn't just ly down and take it.")

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

James went so pale, Lily stopped reading. "James?" Remus asked, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Green light…" he whispered, "Once, this witch tracked my family down, my parents had put her husband away and she wanted revenge. She attacked and… anyway, green light is the color of _that_ spell. The one he... he probably used on us; on Harry." Lily took a deep shaky breath, and Remus and Sirius comforted James in a careful, brotherly way. It was so horrible, Lily thought, that his one memory was of his near-death. "Keep going, Lily." James said after a moment. She nodded and picked the book up once more.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. **(It had become suddenly hard for Lily to speak without her voice shaking.) **His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; The Dursleys were his only family. **(Sirius stared at the boo, a horrible mix of pain and horror in his eyes.) **Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top had had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old women dressed in all green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That it." Lily croaked. After a moment of silence, Sirius stood dramatically, grabbed James' hands, and pulled him from the couch. "C'mon, James. You and me will get us lunch, and then we can pick up the next chapter after." Before James could protest, he and Sirius disappeared behind the door. Remus stood and crossed the room slowly, sitting beside Lily. "I know this isn't easy for you, Lily. I'm really sorry." Lily rubbed her eyes and smiled up at him, her and Remus had always gotten along well. "I'm okay Remus, or at least, I will be. I just...need to get over the shock of it all, you know?" Remus nodded in understanding, "You know, from what I've heard, Harry has a lot of you in him Lily. And I don't just mean his eyes." Lily smiled more and hugged her friend. Remus held her, seeing her much like a sister. "I'm with Sirius; I won't let that child grow up without you. I don't know why he hasn't shown up in the book, or why I haven't even been mentioned, but we will fix this, all of it. Even if it means…" he took a deep breath, "Even if it means it takes longer to stop Voldemort."

Lily looked up at him, but before she could say another word, Sirius and James (who was now smiling) burst through the door with food overflowing from their arms. "Lets eat!" cried Sirius.

* * *

So that's chapter 2! Please review, its what keeps me going. _Constructive_ criticism is also welcome! I hope you like it so far.


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